The present invention relates to electrodes used in medical treatment and, more particularly, to electrodes employed with radio frequency energy to produce deep-heating by hyperthermia.
The therapeutic effect of heat have been known for a long period of time. In particular, it has been found that tumors can be heated and, thereby, destroyed. Likewise, it has been known that radio frequency energy can be employed to cause heating of animal tissue. This has been accomplished by traditional diathermy apparatus.
Recently, in my co-pending application Ser. No. 854,730, filed Nov. 25, 1977 and titled, "Deep Heating Electrode", which has now issued as U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,186,729, an electrode was shown which allows radio frequency energy to be employed to cause deep heating within an animal body. Prior to my deep heating electrode, a person having a tumor situated deep within his body was unable to have sufficient energy transferred thereto to cause therapeutic heating of the tumor. Before my invention, such heating could only occur by surgically exposing the tumor and placing traditional diathermy electrodes in electrical contact with opposing surfaces of the tissue to cause the energy to pass therethrough.
According to my invention as disclosed in the above-referenced patent, an electrode in the form of a cylinder can be placed about the body of a person over the area of the tumor and deep heating electro-magnetic energy transmitted thereto if the electrode is in the form of a single turn self-resonant loop which causes a series of concentric electro magnetic force lines of substantially equal energy to be created inside the cylinder.
Reference should be made to the above-referenced patent for a more detailed description of the general field to which the present invention relates.
While the cylindrical electrode works for its intended purpose in a great many applications, certain portions of the body create unique problems for which a specialized force field would be desirable. For example, in my co-pending application Ser. No. 097,485, filed Nov. 26, 1979 and titled "Planar disc Magnetic Electrode," an electrode is disclosed particularly adapted for slipping over the head, arm, or leg to create a narrow planar band of energy. This electrode was particularly developed for use in the neck region wherein energy transmitted to the body a few inches above the neck is also transmitted into the brain.
In treating the major body portion with a cylindrical electrode as described in the above-referenced basic patent, some patient discomfort can be created. For example, in extremely weak, bedridden patients, the effort of being positioned within a cylinder can be both physically and psychologically uncomfortable. In many cases, the power level to the tumor region has to be lmited by patient discomfort experienced in the sternum and also coccyx bony regions which are unavoidably simultaneously heated. This is because with a large cylindrical electrode all of the region under the electrode is being heated, whereas the tumor may not be so widely dispersed and could be locally treated if the energy could be directed to that specific area.
Wherefore, it is one objective of the present invention to provide an electrode which is portable. That is, the electrode may be used on any table, metallic or non-metallic, and does not have to be made a part of the table as is the case with the cylindrical electrode.
It is yet another objective of the present electrode to provide an electrode of high convenience. That is, an electrode of two-piece construction where the lower section can be placed on the patient's table while the upper section can be placed over the patient after he is in a prone position.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide an electrode having localized heating. That is, one electrode to produce localized heating of the torso thus eliminating some of the problems encountered with previous designs.